Guest Post: Daithi Kavanagh

Today I welcome to my blog Daithi Kavanagh! Author of a great thriller, The Gun, available here from Tirgearr Publishing. Daithi Kavanagh hails from Ireland. Give him a warm welcome, and visit him on the rest of his blog tour by clicking the button at the bottom of the post, or here.

When I was a teenager in the 1970’s in Wexford I left school at fifteen and found myself unemployed as there was also a recession in Ireland at that time. Rather than going around swatting flies and watching Love Boat on television (I kid you not) I took up reading. One of the first books I read was Wuthering Heights. It was a mystery to me how a young girl living in the heart of the country in England of the 1800’s could have known so much about life and I realized from that moment how powerful the mind is for conjuring up images and stories. I also found books lying around my home such as A Stone for Danny Fischer by Harold Robbins. These were my first inspirations to read because in school reading was not a pleasure but a penance.

Country Living

I have been living in the countryside in a place called Trinity since 1998. It is such a beautiful part of Wexford. It is a tiny village with a small population. There are loads of forest walks near our house and most days I get to walk in the forest with my wife and two dogs Rosie and Sam. On these walks I can mull over what’s going on in the world and take in the beautiful scenery. It gives me time and space to think. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would end up living in the country and enjoying the peace that that brings. I get inspiration to write every time I go walking. While I was writing The Gun I used to leave it aside and go on my walk to think about the story and where it was going. I would then come back and start again.

During the summer I would sit in my garden and do my writing. I found a little spot under the trees that I loved and found that my writing would flow when I was there. It’s amazing that the stimulation for a crime novel can come from such a tranquil setting.

He stared at the gun lying on the bed. It was in his possession for nearly half his life and he’d never known what to do with it. The funny thing was, he’d always hated guns and yet, here he was.

He heard his wife moving around downstairs and knew that very soon she would call him for a cup of tea. He had to get the gun back into its hiding place.

He thought back to the first time he’d seen it. A late night knock at the door and a man from down the street had handed the gun and ammunition to him, wrapped in fertiliser bags.

“What the hell is this?” he’d blurted out.

“It’s a gun,” the man had said showing no expression.

“What are you giving it to me for?” he’d whispered, not wanting his family to hear them.”

“Because I trust you,” he’d replied.

“What the hell do you mean, you trust me? You hardly know me! And all I know about you is that you’re mixed up in the IRA. I have a family and I don’t give a damn about the North. Now please get away from my door and take that thing with you.”

The man had stared at him, but all calm had disappeared from his features. Then he spoke through gritted teeth.

“Now listen to me. The guards are going to be here shortly. Something serious happened tonight and now you’re mixed up in it, whether you like it or not. If you don’t take the gun from me now, when the guards arrive here and see us together, I’ll implicate you. Even if they don’t believe me, it will mean that you’ll have to stand up in Court and give evidence against me. Do you want that for your family? It would be much easier for you to stick the gun in the boot of your car drive off somewhere and hide it. But you’d better make your mind up fast, before they drive up and arrest us both.”

He often wondered why he’d taken it. Was it because he’d had sympathy for the man? He didn’t think so. Maybe it was the fear of being implicated, or like the man had said, being branded an informer. He wasn’t sure, but whatever the reason, it seemed like providence.

BIO

I am 56 years old and I live with my wife and two teenage children in Trinity, Wexford. Up to 2012 when the recession hit Ireland I was making my living as a musician. I then went back to adult education and completed my Leaving Certificate in 2014. I am now studying for a degree in Culture and Heritage Studies at Wexford Campus.

While I was studying for I began writing ‘The Gun’ which is the first book in The Tadhg Sullivan Series. I have just completed the second book in the series.

I play guitar and sing in many of the pubs in my hometown of Wexford where I am often joined by my two children Ella and Rory who play fiddle and flute.

In my spare time (which I do not have a lot of) I like to walk my two dogs with my wife Caroline.